Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698946575112.pdf (Uganda)
PARLIAMENTARY STATEMENT MADE BY THE HON.

MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE PRESIDENCY ON THE ALLEGED UNWARRANTED INTIMIDATION AND HARASSMENT OF A HEALTH WORKER OF EDIOFE HEALTH CENTER III, ARUA DISTRICT Rt.

Hon.

Speaker of Parliament Hon.

Members of Parliament At the 34th Sitting of the 3'd Meeting of the 4th Session of the 10th Parliament of Uganda held on Tuesday 14th April 2020, Hon.
Atiku Bernard (MP Ayivu County), raised a concern over the alleged unwarranted harassment of a Health worker of Ediofe Health Center III, by the Deputy Resident District Commissioner of Arua.

This, was the Health worker who had on 9th April 2020 wheeled a patient to Arua Hospital after failing to secure an ambulance from Arua District Taskforce on COVID-19.

It is for this reason that I stand to present a response to this august House touching on the following: .
A brief introduction on the mandate of an RDC; .

A detailed explanation of the alleged "unwarranted harassment of a Health worker of Ediofe Health Center III" by the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Arua; .

Conclusion.

1.0 INTRODUCTION - Mandate of an RDC Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Members, Art.

203 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda (as amended), provides for a Resident District Commissioner who shall among others: 1.

Monitor the implementation of Government services at the District; 2.
Advise the District Chairperson on matters of a national nature that may affect the district or its plans and programmes and particularly the relations between the district and the Government.

1. , In addition, to the above Constitutional duties, H.E.

the President directed Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) to chair and coordinate the District COVID-19 response Taskforces in their respective Districts.

Indeed, Rt.

Hon.
Indeed, Rt.

Hon.

Speaker, any RDC who effectively and efficiently performs his / her coordination role in the combating of the COVID-l9 pandemic, is an agent for better service delivery.

Our experience has shown that, many of our field officers despite the logistical challenges/ are doing a great job.

They are therefore, directly contributing to the attainment of the Constitutional duty bestowed unto them by H.E.
the President under Article 99 of the Constitution which enjoins the President to among others, promote the welfare of the citizens.

2.O A detailed explanation of the alleged "unwarranted harassment of a Health worker of Ediofe Health Center III" by the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Arua.

Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Members, although Hon.


Atiku Bernard did not provide specific details of the DRDC'I alleged "unwarranted harassment" of the Health worker, we have since undertaken the following: On 22nd April 2020, I personally undertook a fact finding mission to Arua.

The mission involved detailed interactions with the Deputy Resident District Commissioner (DRDC) - Ms. Akello Alice Opio, as well as the Management of Ediofe Health Center III.
My interrogation of the DRDC revealed that: 2.t On 12th April 2020, while attending a District Taskforce COVID-19 response meeting, the matter of a social media story in which a nurse had wheeled a patient from Ediofe H/C III to Arua Referral Hospital, was brought up.

And as a matter of concern, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner and the Deputy DISO went to meet the In-Charge at Ediofe H/C III and the Nurse in question, but both were off-duty.
2.2 Accordingly, another Nurse who was on duty then, offered to take the DRDC and Deputy DISO to the Nurses'staff quafters.

During the casual interaction with the Nurse, the DRDC learnt that, the 2 incident had happened on 9th April 2020 where the Nurse - Ms. Okudinia Doris wheeled a patient to Arua Referral Hospital.

She indicated two scenarios that made her volunteer to wheel the patient to Arua Referral Hospital about 2 Kms from Ediofe Health Center III: .
Having been put on pressure by the caretakers of the patient - Mr. Yuda Alio (now deceased) to take him out of Ediofe H/C III to a referral Hospital for further medical attention.

.

The In-Charge at Ediofe H/C III was not around and Doris wanted to save life in addition to coming back with the wheel chair.

2.3 In light of the discussion in 2.2 above, the DRDC posed the following questions: Doris before reaching Arua Referral Hospital?

.

Why couldn't the Nurse wait for the ambulance?

.


What if the patient had died in the hands of Ms. Okudinia .

What was the motive behind permitting photos to be taken with the patient at the gate of Ediofe Health Center III?

.

Who took the photographs?

2.4 It was later" established that, the photos were taken by a one Nyakuni Alfred a Presenter at Radio Pacis in Ediofe, owned by Arua Catholic Diocese.

Thereafter, the DRDC informed the Staff on duty that the photo had gone viral on social media.
She requested that Ms. Okudinia Doris come with the In-Charge Ediofe H/C III to clear the mis- information pertaining to the picture and story which were then trending on social media.

2.5 However, on the following day, allegations of a DRDC harassing a Nurse started to circulate on social media.

Rt.

Hon.
Rt.

Hon.

Speaker, on 23'd April 2020 after interrogating the DRDC, I visited Ediofe Health Center III where I held a lengthy discussion with: the In- Charge of Ediofe H/C III - Sister Laurence Limio, the Clinical Officer, Ediofe H/C III - Ms. libalu Scola and the courageous Nurse - Ms. Okudinia Doris.

3 Doris Okudinia proposed that, the Clinical Officer - a one libalu Scola, first narrates how the patient was received.

Jibalu took to the floor and informed me that: 1.


At around B:30 am, Thursday 9th April 2020, Ediofe Health Center III received a patient - a one Yuda Alio, (now deceased).

He was very ill that time.

After an hour of investigation into the nature of the ailment and the cost implications, the Clinical Officer at Ediofe decided to refer the patient to Arua Regional Referral Hospital.

2.
2.

Initial attempts to persuade the nearby and immediately available proprietor of a passenger tri-cycle (Tuku-tuku) to take the patient to Arua Referral Hospital, fell on "deaf ears" since the rider feared a confiscation of his tuku-tuku.

3.

It was not until mid-day, that contact was made with the District Health Officer (DHO) who, promised that an ambulance would be sent shortly.
Despite the assurances of the DHO, the Health worker (Nurse) who was to accompany the patient, waited up to 2:00 pffi, with no ambulance showing up.

4.

At that time, the wife of the patient had become impatient and was complaining loudly.

Out of empathy, the Nurse offered to roll the patient to Arua Referral Hospital using the facility wheel chair, using the route through the Cathedral Church.

5.
5.

Having rolled the patient for about quarter an hour, and approaching Ediofe bridge, the patient requested to be rested under a tree shade to shelter from the scorching afternoon sunshine.

He was also offered a drink.

While at rest, the ambulance presumed to have been discharged by the DHO to Ediofe H/C III to take the patient passed the Health worker and her patient - without knowing that, the patient and Nurse they had been tasked to pick had already left Ediofe H/C III in a wheel chair.

6.
6.

Out of her own intuition, the Nurse convinced the patient that, they should hit the road, given that the ambulance upon reaching Ediofe, would be advised to return in the same direction, and thus pick the Health worker as well as the patient - which never was.

The Nurse further al/eged that, two other ambulances passed her.

We have since established that, these had not been dispatched by Dr. Drileba Bishop, 4 I the DHO Arua.
Arua has several Refugee Settlements and Non- Government Organizations (NGOs) owning ambulances which could have been dispatched to affend to other emergencies within the same area.

7.

Regrettably, upon reaching Ediofe H/C III the ambulance driver sent out by the DHO was informed by the gate keeper that the patient had been transported to Arua Referral Hospital in a wheel chair by a Nurse.

The driver immediately left in pursuit, but failed to trace both the patient and Nurse.

B.
B.

The Nurse on her pdrt, continued with her patient until they made it to the Out Patient Department of Arua Referral Hospital.

She left the patient in the care of the Medical Officer and returned to Ediofe Health Center IIL 9.

In the evening of the 12th April 2020, the Deputy RDC together with the DISO visited Ediofe H/C III seeking to meet the In-Charge Ediofe H/C III and Ms. Okudinia Doris - being the Nurse who had wheeled a patient to Arua Referral Hospital.
They did not find her at the facility, since she was off duty.

10.

Upon return, Doris received information from her Colleagues that the DISO and DRDC (on behalf of the District COVID-19 Taskforce) had wanted to clarify a few issues with her in respect to the matter trending on social media regarding her wheeling of a patient to Arua Referral Hospital.
Naturally, this visit created some anxiety for both Doris and her colleagues, with some suggesting that, the Health worker could have landed herself into trouble with the COVID-19 Taskforce.

11.

It is this anxiety that was fuelled by social media postings of allegations in which the DRDC was reportedly harassing a Health Worker for wheeling a patient to Arua Referral Hospital.

Consequently, the RDC on 14th April 2020, visited the Ediofe H/C III to calm the situation.

3.O Conclusion: In conclusion Rt.


Hon.

Speaker and Members, from the fact finding mission conducted by my office as summarized in the fore-going discussion we have since established that: 5 I 3.1 The intention of Ms. Okudinia Doris to wheel the late Yuda Alio from Ediofe HIC III was a personal initiative to save life considering the amount of pressure she had received from the patient's caretakers.

3.2 The actions of the Health worker were well intentioned and driven by a noble cause.
At an appropriate time, we intend to request the District authorities for her citation to be submitted to the Presidential Awards Committee for consideration of being awarded a medal.

3.3 The actions of the DRDC were in line of carrying out her duties with regard to the COVID-19 District response geared towards protecting the Image of the Government.

The discussion at Ediofe H/C III staff quarters was not meant to threaten the Nurse.

3.4 The whole matter was blown out of proportion by the social media.
Even Arua Diocese came to learn about the incident through social media and apologized for the inconvenience caused to the District COVID-19 Task force.

The Diocese pledges to improve its communication and collaboration with the District COVID-19 Task force.

I thank you very much.

Esther M. Mbayo (MP) MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE PRESIDENCY May 2020 6 Office of the Ministerfor the presidency P.O.
Box 7168 Kampala Uganda OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT : UGANDA ' i,:., i ,:l';lt : il Tbl: 0414 - 256 956 0414 - 23t 227 Sir Appolo Kaggwa Road Plot 9 - 1I www.

ffi c e oft h epre s i d e n t. g o. u g MOP 19 6e May 2O2O The Clerk to Parliament Parliament of Uganda I(AMPALA UNWARRANTED INTIMIDATION AND HARASSMENT OF A HEALTH IVORKER Otr.

EDIOFE HEALTH CENTER III, ARUA DISTRICT.

Reference is made to your letter ABlL86l189/O1 dated 15tt April 2O2O in regard to the above subject.
In the letter, you communicated to this Office a directive by the Rt.

Hon.

Speaker of Parliament requiring us to present a Ministerial Statement to Parliament on the above captioned subject.

A soft copy of the Statement has also been sent to: clerk(rilpariiament.go.ug The purpose of this letter therefore, is to submit a hard copy of the required Ministerial Statement as per the directive of the Rt.

Hon.

Speaker.
Hon.

Speaker.

In the same vein, I wish to propose that, the Statement should be included on the Order Paper for Thursday 7th May 2O2O for purposes of presenting the same on the Floor of Parliament.

Thank you very much.

.

Mbayo (MP) Esther MINISTER FOR THE PRESIDENCY C.C The Rt.

Hon.

Speaker " The Rt.

Hon.

Deputy Speaker The Rt.

Hon.

Prime Minister/ Leader of Government Business The Hon.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament The Hon.

Government Chief Whip The Hon.


Chief Opposition Whip The Parliament Secretary, Office of the President